


Coffee

by PuzzleBot



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Birthday, Gen, Gift Fic, cakes, the best friends are polar opposites of each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 04:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8783365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuzzleBot/pseuds/PuzzleBot
Summary: It's not a good morning. Not yet.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [coolknives](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolknives/gifts).



> I wrote this for coolknives for their birthday a while ago!!

The crash of water gushing into the kettle did nothing to clear Vincent’s mind of the thoughts buzzing around it. Today was a bad day - one where memories haunted him louder than usual, and regrets weighed heavy on his shoulders. Days like these were blank days, days that he removed himself more than usual. He wouldn’t go to work today, probably not tomorrow either. The guilt was pushing down on him - too hard to bear.

He turned on the kettle and took out a mug. In with the coffee granules and the sugar - half spilled onto the counter, thanks to his trembling hands. What day was it? Vincent didn’t know. He’d not been sleeping well recently - napping in the days, waking in the darkest hours of the night. Days were starting to blur into one.

The heating was off, he just now realised. The cold was biting at his feet, and an icy draft was slipping under the door. There was no point working out what had broken it - he probably deserved even this.

With a quiet click, the kettle brought the room to silence. Vincent poured the scalding water into the mug, feeling like even if he spilt it onto his hand, he wouldn’t feel it. He knew he was spiralling, but he felt powerless to stop it. Sven hated him, so he deserved this. It was _all his fault_ … Thoughts grew louder and louder and he didn’t know how to silence them. Reaching out - that wouldn’t occur to him in a million years - so it was probably a good thing that - just then - there came a knock at the door.

He took a long, burning gulp of coffee, shuddering as it travelled down his throat and he waited for whoever was at the door to leave. No such luck. The knock came again - louder this time.

“Hable, I _know_ you’re in there…” Came the dulcet tones of his coworker, Sharon, “Let me in; you’re not wasting another birthday holed at home on your own.”

Vincent blinked. ‘Birthday’? With quiet confusion, he checked the date. Hm, so it was. Another year gone. Another year of work culminating in nothing, and another year of fighting with himself.

“Vincent Hable!” Sharon’s voice came again, louder this time, “I am standing in the cold with a huge cake that I refuse to let go to waste; the very least you can do is let me in.” She rapped at the door, and Vincent could tell she wasn’t going to quit.

“What have I said about calling before you visit, Sharon…?” He asked, opening the door reluctantly and looking out at the woman standing outside.

“Well, how would that be a surprise, huh, Hable?” Sharon smirked, allowing herself entry and presenting a white box to Vincent, “Happy Birthday!”

Vincent sipped his coffee slowly before accepting the box.

“... Thank you.” He said, as a matter of courtesy, “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Yeah,” She grinned, “But I thought your birthday was a little more important than a few hours at work, don’t you think?”

“I beg to differ.” Vincent refuted as he grudgingly led the woman into the living room, and put the cake on the coffee table. A light smell of rich chocolate caught his nose, and he found himself humming appreciatively - she’d remembered his favourite. Sharon grinned; this was the exact effect she’d been hoping for. Now if she could only distract him from whatever else was bringing him down… Without a moment of hesitation, she brought out a card from her bag and passed it over to him.  
  
“Open it up,” She urged, almost a childlike enthusiasm in how she watched him, “Quickly!”  
  
“What is the _rush_ , Sharon?” Vincent stared at her as he took another long sip of coffee, then sat down. Sharon didn’t respond, only smiled and opened the cake to let the aroma fill the room. Vincent hummed with slight interest now, and opened the card. A slip of paper fell out into his lap, and he tilted his head curiously, disregarding the stock birthday wishes in order to read it.

“So…? You like?” Sharon pushed with a grin, wriggling her eyebrows.

A ticket to a… Science conference? She knew him well. Vincent - against all of his own expectations - let out a soft chuckle.

“I… Yes. This sounds wonderful. Thank you, Sharon.”


End file.
